Seven Years

Quick Update: I am in the process of moving. Moving is EXHAUSTING. I will be back this week, though. Tired as hell but NEW WORK SPACE! WOO!

Hello everyone.

Today, I am taking a moment to pause between the Andromeda X story arcs to celebrate the 7-year anniversary of d20Monkey.

I struggled with how to start this post. There are a lot of drafts in the trashcan right now, but I think I have it down now as I sit here and think about where I am and where I have come from. In the early days of d20Monkey, I had simple goals: Produce content 3-days a week and make comics that make me laugh. That’s it. No books, no merch, and no ads. No worrying about page views, audience retention, revenue, or what my “next big thing” would be. I just sat down at the computer and started working. If it made me laugh, I made a comic and I posted it.

In those days, I would come home from my day job (It’s been a few years so I’ll say it, I hated that damn job) and work into the early hours of the morning to post new strips every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I posted my comics on Twitter and Facebook. I emailed them to friends. I posted them on bulletin boards at conventions. I told everyone I knew that I was working on a comic. I wanted the world to know that I was doing something that made me happy and hoped that it might make them happy as well.

I wanted people to laugh. I still do.

The hours were worth it. Every week, 3-days a week, I sat at my desk making content I loved. I talked about games. I poked fun at industry professionals from a place of respect and (hopefully) good-natured humor (though Monte Cook and Mike Mearls still never return my calls). I wanted to bring eyes onto the games and community I loved so much. I wanted d20Monkey to be something I could look back on and be proud of. I wanted the archive to be a time capsule for my art, a living timeline that reminded me of the hard work I put in and the lesson that artists evolve over time. I used to joke about hating my old work, but truthfully, I don’t hate it. I never hated it. I love it because I know I poured myself into it and I put it out there for everyone to see.

Through a destroyed knee, cross-country moves, quitting my job to chase a dream, questioning everything and getting older I have made this comic. I made friends through this comic. I lost friends through this comic. I was married, hurt, and divorced during the years I have made this comic. I found someone who loves me and supports me through this comic, even if she had no idea who I was when we met at a Gen Con after party (Hi, Lisa. I love you.). I have realized that I am broken and I have worked to heal old wounds while working on this comic. I kept my head down and I worked on this comic. I made lists of goals I wanted to achieve and I pushed to reach them. I practiced. I pushed myself. I tried new things. I got older. I got smarter. I realized what is true about making comics and what is the perceived idea of making comics. I made new comics. I made games. I made friends proud of me. I learned the hardest lessons you can learn about people. I told personal stories. I honed my craft. I kept trying. I keep trying.

I will always keep trying.

I started d20Monkey in 2010 and let me tell you, seven years is a long time. I know that it might not seem like a high number value, what with the single digit and all that, but the total sum of month, weeks, days, and hours add up to a representation of time that I stopped calculating a long time ago. That is to say that d20Monkey, and all of the projects that spawned from it, are labors of love. This comic, the characters, and the stories I tell bring me joy and whether you have been here for one day or all seven years, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for telling your friends about my work. Thank you to the kind folks who email me, comment, laugh with me, cry with me, and who always have my back when the trolls descend on me on days where it seems like they know I am sad. Thank you for being here.

Thank you for everything.

I hope I am writing another post like this when d20Monkey is 10-years old. This comic means everything to me. Sam, Brett, and everyone in this series is either me or based on people I love and I love to tell their stories. I hope I can tell them forever. I hope you will be here to read them.

Thank you.

Brian

HOVER-TEXT: A cockstravaganza! Only 93-years until a BicenPEEnial. Cock Joke!

Congratulations, Brian! 🙂 I first came across your art back when you started doing the “caption contests” at Obsidian Portal where I was a very active member at the time. I was immediately a fan, and have remained a fan all these years. Keep doing what you do. You’re an awesome person, and your work (and humor) makes the world a better place.

Through valleys low or mountains high, this comic remains awesome. I found the shardmind windchime comic while searching for character art using ye olde Google Images, and never looked back. Instant add to my list of obsessively watched webcomics, and an instant rocket to the top as ‘weekly most anticipated’. Here’s to many more years, and hey maybe not an Andromeda X book but maybe possibly a 10 page setting primer? Pretty please?~

Even when they hurt, even when the trolls keep baying for blood, even when everything is crashing down, you still kept writing and drawing.

I’ve laughed at this comic, I’ve cried at this comic.
The Old Wounds arc, and Sam’s struggles with depression and all the terrors that come with it wrenched at my heart, but at the same time reminded me that yes, getting back up is possible. It hurts, and it’s hard, but it’s possible.
That’s important.

This comic is what truly got me back into D&D.
Thank you for that. More than I can express in words.
I wouldn’t still be here if not for D&D. I wouldn’t still be here if this comic hadn’t dragged me back to the table.

I’ve watched these characters grow and change, and in a way, watched you grow with them. They struggle, they clash, they break, but they come together, get back up, and start filling the cracks back in.

Thank you, for 7 years of sharing your heart and soul with us, and reminding us that yes, the world is terrible, but there will always be people willing to help and make it less more survivably terrible.

I don’t know if you’ll see this, Brian, but I’m adding it just in case.

I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t dragged me back to the table with this comic.
I… I was in an immensely bad place a couple of years ago.
My usual methods of holding on weren’t enough, and I was *this* far from ending it on any given day.

Then I found your comic, and I wanted that kind of bond, that kind of something to look forward to and to not have to be little old broken me for a while. So I joined a game on roll20.

It fell apart, so I joined a new one. And slowly I started pulling myself back together.

Skip forward to now. I’m not great, but I don’t want to die. I’m in 4 games a week, and even when they fuck with my emotions (Love ya Pabs~), I have no desire to end it.

That wouldn’t be possible if not for you and your stories.
I would never have realized that tabletop games were an acceptable thing, or even a thing girls *could* do and have fun with.

I owe you more than I can ever express for that. For dragging me back to the table and dragging me out of that abyss. For the friends I’ve made, and the stories I’ve been part of.

Rhea, this is a amazing. I am so very happy that you are still here. I am happy that you went back to table and found new friends and created new stories together. I am so very, very happy that every day, you get up and you keep trying. That is all any of us can do and as long as I am on this planet, know that you have one person who will be here to listen to you, hear your pain, and remind you that you have worth. You have worth and while I am not in your friendsphere, I have no doubt in my mind that you bring happiness to this world every day that you are in it (even if it does not feel that way sometimes).

First reaction when I say the comic “How the hell does he know its my birthday!!! 😀 😀 ”
I’m so happy you have managed to keep going, I love your work, karthun has a prominent space on my game shelf, and look forward to the next many, many years!

Speaking as someone who only just discovered the wild emotional-rollercoaster ride that is this comic comparatively recently, I think you’ve done some pretty awesome work here 🙂
Seen the artwork evolve right from the first one up to today, and you really have improved.
And, as a D&Der myself (I won’t say which edition, ‘cos that’s how wars start!) I’ve found a lot of in-jokes here that really ring true 🙂
Totally hooked now, and I hope you keep on going with it.

So, yeah, you should be proud of what you’ve created here.
Help yourself to a slice of cake (though maybe best not to make it THAT cake!) and have a great day! 😀

I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with you for over 5 years, now. Maybe longer; I’m not even sure. You’ve changed from someone I admire to a friend and someone for whom I have the deepest respect. Thank you for all of the work that you’ve done on this comic, and on the projects we’ve undertaken together. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that. I’m continually in awe of the work you do. You’re a magnificent human and I love you.

You took a comic about dice, drama and dick jokes, and shared them with the world. In that time, you have created characters who are more human than most actual humans, even the asshole characters (Dove, Grey (from way back)… looking at you), and even from mythology (if ever I have kids, Santa would have a global operation like Brett runs).

Even when your characters are broken, people want to reach through the screen and give them (and you) a hug, and let them (and you) know that the shitstorm will pass, and that we will all see it through. Anyone that expects you to draw on command can go eat a dick, and not one off that celebratory cake, either.

Happy Anniversary!
Thank you for all the laughs and the tears. It has been awesome to watch the comic go from single jokes to long complicated arcs. Thank you for sharing your art and your stories with us.

You’ve done an amazing job growing over the past 7 years. Your style, your humor, and your stories have all grown with you. You resonate with a sometimes quiet, but amazing community of folks that have your back at every post regardless of how much time passes between them.

You’ve had more than your fair share of trolls over the years. But they do not speak for us. They’re not offering you criticism so that you become better…they only try to tear you down. But for every one of them, there’s 100 of us. Those that have relished in the past 7 years and look forward to many more.

You have served (and to continue) to serve an important purpose in thousands of peoples lives. And we are immensely grateful.

Here’s to you, Brian. Thank you for the laughs, stories, and the community you’ve grown. And thank you for giving me the power to BANISH THOSE FUCKING TROLLS YOU SONS OF BITCHES HERE COMES THE HAMMER

I can’t top what your long-standing friends and fans have said, but as a [relative] short-timer (2 years?), thank you for sharing your characters and stories with us readers, I have enjoyed every comic for a variety or reasons. Your creativity is wonderful and your humor is appreciated, even the silly stuff, because we can all use a little silly once in awhile. Just, thank you, sir. 🙂

Love the cake! Happy anniversary!
I enjoy your work and read it as often as I can. Your stories have grown, as has your writing, and are very entertaining. What you’ve done, the hallmark of a good writer, is make us CARE about your characters. Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing your labor of love with us, Brian. Its takes serious guts to toss what matters to you out into the world where the wolves could get at it, and keep doing it week in and week out. I’m so glad to be along for the ride!

I’m almost disappointed that those star ornaments on the cake were not instead sperm-shaped.

*Almost*.

😛

Keep at it dude! You’ve got real skill for telling stories, and watching you evolve in all the ways has been so amazing. And the nerdy jokes about every aspect of the game, from the math to the method acting, are much needed in an environment where finding another person to share those with requires a perfect Luck roll.

We’ll have your back as long as you keep doing this, and keep doing you. <3

Happy Anniversary, my dude!
I just wanted to thank you for making d20 Monkey. My mother passed away in early 2014 and when I found your comic, I found the ability to smile and laugh again. I’ve only been reading since mid to late 2014, but your comic pushed me to try out Tabletop RPGs and because of it, I’ve made a number of good friends.